OBJECTIVES: Caffeine (CAF) and sedative/anesthetic drugs (SADs) are often coadministered to premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While SAD neurotoxicity in the developing brain is well established, it is not fully clear whether CAF interacts with SADs and whether this interaction is detrimental. Using a mouse model of prematurity, we hypothesized that CAF would increase apoptotic neurotoxicity when coadministered with SADs. METHODS: Postnatal day 3 mice were treated with vehicle or 80 mg/kg CAF prior to challenge with 6 mg/kg midazolam, 40 mg/kg ketamine, or 40 μg/kg fentanyl...

The optimal duration of treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is still the subject of debate. While 1-week treatment has been reported as possibly sufficient, patients generally receive antibiotic therapy for 10-14 days. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether length of treatment in patients with VAP can be reduced with an individualized therapeutic strategy. The study was performed prospectively with patients diagnosed with VAP in our hospital's intensive care units between 1 January and 31 December, 2015...

BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular blockers used to prevent shivering during therapeutic hypothermia in comatose patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are associated with adverse events. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of a nurse-implemented protocol on use of neuromuscular blockers in patients treated with 24-hour therapeutic hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: A before and after study was done in a 24-bed cardiac arrest center...

The evidence linking delirium to poor outcomes after critical illness is compelling, including higher mortality, prolonged mechanical ventilation, longer length of intensive care unit stay, and long-term cognitive impairments. The attitude toward delirium in the neurologic community is shifting away from viewing it as an unmodifiable, inevitable consequence of severe illness to treating it is as a neurologic emergency, akin to seizures or encephalitis. Delirium, like other manifestations of critical illness encephalopathy, is an organ dysfunction syndrome...

Acute ischemic stroke caused by the occlusion of large brain vessels can be treated effectively by mechanical thrombectomy, as proved by recent strong and consistent evidence from high-quality randomized trials. This new era of endovascular stroke treatment, however, poses particular challenges that go far beyond the so far gold standard of intravenous thrombolysis alone. Because these stroke patients usually present with severe neurologic deficits, may be unstable from cardiac or pulmonary instability, have to endure an invasive intervention of sometimes long duration, may suffer complications and require close postinterventional follow-up, they often demand intensive care measures...

BACKGROUND: In order to plan and implement nursing intervention to reduce the incidence rate of unplanned extubation problem in the intensive care unit (ICU), it is necessary to determine the risk factors of unplanned extubation and the patients under risk. AIMS: This study was undertaken with the aim of evaluating the risk of unplanned extubation of endotracheal tube in adult ICU. DESIGN: This was a case-control study. METHODS: The population constituted patients hospitalized in the adult ICU during 1-year period in a university hospital...

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is a life-saving invasive procedure performed in intensive care units (ICUs) where critical patients are given advanced support. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of personnel training on the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The study, performed prospectively in the ICU, was planned in two periods. In both periods, patient's characteristics were recorded on patient data forms. In the second period, ICU physicians and assistant health personnel were given regular theoretical and practical training...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may require sedation in their clinical care. The goals of sedation in ARDS patients are to improve patient comfort and tolerance of supportive and therapeutic measures without contributing to adverse outcomes. This review discusses the current evidence for sedation management in patients with ARDS. RECENT FINDINGS: Deep sedation strategies should be avoided in the care of patients with ARDS because deep sedation has been associated with increased time on mechanical ventilation, longer ICU and hospital length of stay, and higher mortality in critically ill patients...

BACKGROUND: Targeted light sedation is recommended because it shortens the time of mechanical ventilation and the length of stay in an intensive care unit (ICU). However, there is no validated scale for sedation and agitation in ICU in the Serbian speaking area. The aim of the current study was to validate, verify the reliability and enable the application of the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) in the Serbian speaking area. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, RASS was applied to 301 adult patients hospitalized in surgical ICUs by two different research team members...

We present a case of a Jehovah's Witness patient who refused blood products, with the exception of albumin and clotting factors, and underwent cesarean section under spinal anesthesia complicated by postpartum hemorrhage. She was fluid resuscitated and treated with multiple uterotonics and internal iliac artery embolization. Because of agitation she required emergency tracheal intubation. Her hemoglobin concentration dropped from a preoperative value of 12mg/dL to 3mg/dL on postoperative day one. She was acidotic, requiring vasopressors for hemodynamic stability and remained ventilated and sedated...

BACKGROUND: Currently there is a trend towards less or no use of sedation of mechanically ventilated patients. Still, little is known about how different sedation strategies affect relatives' satisfaction with the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). AIM: To explore if there was a difference in relatives' personal reactions and the degree of satisfaction with information, communication, surroundings, care and treatment in the ICU between relatives of patients who receive no sedation compared with relatives of patients receiving sedation during mechanical ventilation in the ICU...

BACKGROUND: Delirium is a syndrome characterized by acute fluctuations and alterations in attention and arousal. Critically ill patients are at particularly high risk, and those that develop delirium are more likely to experience poor clinical outcomes such as prolonged duration of ICU and hospital length of stay, and increased mortality. Melatonin and melatonin agonists (MMA) have the potential to decrease the incidence and severity of delirium through their hypnotic and sedative-sparing effects, thus improving health-related outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Terminal extubation (TE) is applied in some intensive care unit (ICU) patients when a decision of withdrawal of mechanical ventilation is decided. Other units prefer terminal weaning (TW) with no removal of the endotracheal tube. We report our experience with these two procedures. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study analyzing patients deceased in our ICU after a decision of life sustained therapy (LST) during the year 2013. TE was proposed to family members for patients presenting with two medical conditions: lack of vasoactive drugs (VAD) and SaO2 > 95% with a FIO2 < 50%...

BACKGROUND: In prehospital setting, a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) requires tracheal intubation, sedation and mechanical ventilation pending the initial imagery. An early neurological wake-up test (ENWT), soon after the initial imaging assessment, allows a rapid neurological reassessment. This strategy authorises an initial clinical examination of reference with which will be compared the later examinations. The main objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of the patients who underwent an ENWT, and to determine its causes of failure...

Treatment of status epilepticus often requires highly sedative drugs with risk of side effects. Correct diagnosis is mandatory in order to prevent introduction of usefulness treatments. We report a case of suspected myoclonic status epilepticus. A thalamic lesion secondary to an osmotic demyelination syndrome was found to be the likely etiology of the myoclonus. Electrophysiological data (electroencephalography and electromyography) provided evidence for a subcortical origin of myoclonus and use of continuous EEG allowed monitoring of drug withdrawal...